Michael Carrick was pushed to the brink of being sacked after Manchester United slumped to a miserable 3-0 home defeat against Bournemouth. The Manchester United Bournemouth 3-0 result stretched United’s winless run to eight games and left them 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone.
For the third time in four seasons, Bournemouth won by a three-goal margin at Old Trafford. Strikes from Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson secured a fully deserved victory for Marco Rose’s side.
Carrick’s bold decision to drop captain Bruno Fernandes backfired. Fernandes was critical of Carrick’s tactics in a 4-1 Champions League thrashing at Como on Wednesday. The United boss said the decision to leave out last season’s Premier League Player-of-the-Year was purely football driven, but it was hard to believe Fernandes was not being punished as he stayed on the bench for the entire match.
How the Manchester United Bournemouth 3-0 defeat happened
Rayan opened the scoring on 38 minutes, connecting sweetly with Justin Kluivert free-kick. Five minutes later, Leny Yoro stumbled under pressure from Adrien Truffert, and the French full-back squared for Tavernier to tap into an empty net.
Many expected Fernandes to be stripped and ready for the start of the second half, but he remained on the bench and the United performance got no better. Inside the first minute of the restart, Evanilson found the net, but he was flagged offside.
That let-off mattered little. Senne Lammens denied Rayan before the Brazilian winger fired wide after racing past Lisandro Martinez. Evanilson finally added a third 20 minutes from time when he rounded Lammens before curling in an exquisite finish from a narrow angle.
Carrick was taunted with chants of “you are getting sacked in the morning” from the Bournemouth fans. The United support unleashed their fury at the club’s unpopular owners, the Glazer family, rather than Carrick in the closing stages.
Carrick unsure what comes next
“It is a tough situation. What is next? I do not know,” Carrick said after United’s winless run reached eight games in all competitions. “I will always do what is best for this football club. I have said it all along; I do not change that now. I love what I do. I love the responsibility, but we will have to wait and see.”
A strong finish to last season during Carrick’s interim spell in charge secured third place in the Premier League. Yet with just one win against promoted Ipswich Town, United have taken just seven points from eight league games so far this season. That is their lowest tally at this stage of a season since 1986-87.
United players were booed off by the few frustrated fans that remained inside Old Trafford at the end of their heaviest home defeat since 2024. United co-owners, the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe, were also targeted for angry chants, although Carrick largely avoided the fans’ ire.
On this evidence, dismissing another manager is far from a quick fix for a club that has fallen dramatically from grace since Alex Ferguson’s retirement after winning their most recent English title 13 years ago.
Liverpool rise as Isak stays hot
At Anfield, Liverpool struck twice in quick succession in the first half, with Pascal Gross own goal followed by Isak’s latest strike. The 2-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion lifted Liverpool to fourth place, just one point behind third-placed Brighton.
Isak has netted six times in seven league games this season and has three goals in his last four matches. After a turbulent debut season following his acrimonious move from Newcastle, the Swedish striker is finally beginning to repay his 125 million pounds fee.
Reds boss Andoni Iraola, who arrived from Bournemouth in the close season, has now led Liverpool to four successive wins in all competitions since a 3-0 home defeat against Manchester City.
Meanwhile, William Osula and Harvey Barnes scored as Newcastle United beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park. Palace, thrashed 5-0 at Brighton last weekend, have won just twice in eight league games under Pierre Sage.
Elsewhere, Hull City drew 1-1 with Brentford, while bottom club Sunderland drew 0-0 with Leeds United.
